The day I faced off with Zlatan

JOSE MOURINHO will never forget the day he coolly faced down a raging Zlatan
Ibrahimovic.

The towering Swede is 6ft 5ins, has a taekwondo black belt and a fiery
reputation.

But 5ft 9ins Mourinho still came out on top in a touchline confrontation with
the stroppy striker when he managed him at Inter Milan.

The Special One goes to head to head with ‘Ibra’ again when Chelsea travel to
Paris St Germain in the Champions League tonight.

And he revealed: “It was the last game of the season and Inter were already
champions. We were playing at home against Atalanta, a match we should win
easily.

“And Ibra was desperate for the Golden Ball, desperate to finish as top scorer
in Serie A. So he’s trying to score a few goals to make sure but all the
other strikers, all the other players are trying to score, too.

“He got very angry — he thought they should be helping him to score, not
trying to score themselves. And he was right, the team was being selfish,
the team was not playing for him.

“We were champions and if you are champions and if your striker is trying to
win the Golden Ball, you help him.

“But it looked like the team had forgotten that. They were all enjoying
themselves and nobody was playing for him.”

Ibrahimovic, 32, had scored a superb solo goal as early as the 13th minute
when he broke from halfway to run clear then nonchalantly slotted the ball
past the exposed keeper.

But with just over 10 minutes to go he had still not scored again and was
losing patience with all around him.

Eventually, he erupted in anger when strike partner Mario Balotelli chose to
shoot — and miss — instead of setting him up.

An angry Ibrahimovic stormed to the touchline haranguing his team-mates and
demanding to be subbed.

Mourinho grinned as he recalled: “He was very angry and upset as he came at
me.

“He was shouting ‘We are champions, I helped a lot to make you champions, now
nobody’s helping me. I want to go out now. I want to go out!’

“But I pretended not to understand him. I pretended I couldn’t tell what he
was saying.

“I said ‘What? What? Do you want a drink, do you want some water?’ and I threw
him a bottle. I told him ‘Here take a drink and go.’

“And a few minutes later he scored a beautiful goal, one of those backheels of
his that he often scores.

“We won the game and he was the top scorer in the league — 25 goals I think.
So he was happy in the end.”

Mourinho is hoping his inside knowledge of Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and
Ezequiel Lavezzi can help him guide the Blues into the semis.

He added: “They are all very, very good strikers. I know them — they were all
in Italy when I was there.

“So maybe I can help now my guys to know how to stop them. A player who gave
me as much as Ibra will always be in my heart. He did a lot for Inter and
Inter did a lot for him.

“Ibra is a player I’ll never forget, because he’s very good. He gave a lot to
my team and I never forget the players who helped my teams to win.

“I like seeing Ibra. I greet him whenever I get the chance to and I wish him
all the best — except when he plays against me.

“He is very special, he is one of the best strikers in the world.

“I’m just glad that I don’t have to face him all the time. It’s not that I’m
scared of him and what he can do, no. But I do respect him and what he can
do.”

Ibrahimovic has now ruled out ever playing in the Premier League.

PSG are the nomadic striker’s seventh club in five different countries, but he
insists he will never cross The Channel to play in England.

The big Swede said: “The day I leave Paris, I either go down a level or quit
football. I’m very happy. I have a contract until 2016 and, after that, I
don’t know the future.

“This club is doing an amazing job to become like the other European top
clubs. The day I stop football, I won’t look back and think maybe I should
have played in England.”